Table of Contents
How does MCAS work on 737 MAX?
Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) – flight control law implemented on the 737 MAX to improve aircraft handling characteristics and decrease pitch-up tendency at elevated angles of attack.
What was the problem with the 737 MAX?
Airlines pulled dozens of 737 MAX jets from service early last month after Boeing warned of a production-related electrical grounding problem in a backup power control unit situated in the cockpit on some recently built airplanes.
Is MCAS still on 737 MAX?
That system was MCAS. With the program directive to limit training for 737 NG pilots to Level B in place, Boeing actively downplayed MCAS as not a new or novel system for the Max, but an extension of the existing 737 NG’s Speed Trim System that assists when hand-flying the aircraft.
How many AOA sensors does a Boeing 737 MAX have?
While there are two AOA sensors on all Boeing 737 Max planes (and have been ever since the first test flights in the spring of 2016), only one of these sensors is actively connected to MCAS – the sensor on the pilot side of the plane. Here is what the AOA sensors looks like on a 737 Max:
Why isn’t MCAS in manuals for the Boeing 737 MAX?
As Boeing and the FAA advanced the 737 MAX toward production, they limited the scrutiny and testing of the MCAS design. Then they agreed not to inform pilots about MCAS in manuals, even though Boeing’s safety analysis expected pilots to be the primary backstop in the event the system went haywire.
How many people have died in 737 MAX crashes?
In total, 346 people died in the two accidents. Since the initial crash last October, Boeing has been updating the MCAS software on the 737 Max to use data from the plane’s two AOA sensors, rather than relying on one sensor. Critics question why the airplane’s system wasn’t originally designed that way.
How many MCAS sensors does the Boeing Max really need?
In its first year in service, the MAX fleet logged 118,000 flight hours. So even though this original version of MCAS required two factors — angle of attack and G-force — to activate, Boeing’s analysis indicated that just one sensor would be acceptable in all circumstances.